* Vermaelen is be open to a move to West Ham, unless Liverpool or Inter Milan make an offer for him.

* Barca have put him up for sale, and will sell for €12m.

Vermaelen - described by Luis Enrique as a 'top-class' player - may be 'open to a move', but he is one of the most consistently injured players in Europe, so it'd be absolute madness for Liverpool to even consider a transfer.

Vermaelen's injury stats:

* 722 days missed through injury over the last five seasons (Averages close to 5 months out injured every season)

In my view, it's not even worth having Vermaelen as a stop-gap squad option. Instead of splurging €12m on a perpetual sicknote, the Reds are surely better off saving the money and promoting a young player from the Academy?